Posts with the tag “fruit-of-the-spirit”

Why can I not stop doing this? Why do I continually battle the same thing over and over? When will I finally be able to stop myself in the moment and refrain from harmful actions and attitudes? Why do I seem to fail … every … single … time?  Read More

Gentleness is powerful. Steady, not showy. Persuasive, not pushy.It doesn’t panic, retaliate, or fume. Gentleness stands out in our loud and angry world.  Read More

What do a runner’s marathon, a long and happy marriage and a rich relationship with Jesus have in common? You guessed it. Faithfulness. That stick-with-it-virtue.  Read More

Goodness is perhaps one of the most misunderstood virtues of Christianity. Not because we don’t know what goodness is. But because we are confused on the order in which it is produced.Is it goodness before grace? Or grace before goodness?Many equate goodness with salvation, earning them eternal life. “I’m a good person so I deserve heaven.” And while that may bring moment...  Read More

“Patience is a virtue,” but it’s not something we can produce on our own. While we all try to be patient, do we know what it means to experience true patience? The world’s view of patience is simply waiting out the other guy to get what I want. Selfishness masked as virtue. Even as Christ-followers, we often focus on the outward acts of patience and strive to restrain ours...  Read More

On any given day, we’re three thoughts away from panic. We can watch a situation playing out in our lives, rush it through a gauntlet of emotions, and land on fear—in a matter of seconds.  Read More

I want to impress you. I’d like for you to like me. And, if I were bolder in my honesty, would admit that I really just want to write something worthy of your Tweet. However, that would be using you to make much of me. Though the words themselves may be drenched with truth, they would be void of love. Making my voice, as Scripture so brazenly calls it, useless noise (1...  Read More